Tag Archives: Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

Yes, that’s a mouthful of a title, but it’s a flavor explosion in your mouth too!!

I tend to forget about my slow cooker in the summer, because…hot! BUT…the biggest reason I use my slow cooker is because of it’s convenience factor. THAT is needed all year round!

The other day, I knew I’d be running around all day and wouldn’t be getting home until right around dinner time. Slow cooker to the rescue.

What you need…

4-5 Chicken Breasts (I actually threw mine in frozen!)

1 Medium yellow onion diced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 Teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Ginger

1 Cup Organic Mango Nectar

1 Large Mango

1 Large Avocado

1 Cup diced peppers (I used a yellow, orange, and red)

1 Cup Cherry or grape tomatoes. I used multi colored ones.

4-5 cups baby spinach

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Cup uncooked quinoa

What you do…

Put Olive Oil, Garlic, Ginger, and Onion down and mix.

Lay Chicken Breasts on top. Mine were frozen. I’m sure if they were thawed, they might just be more tender! BUT…if you don’t have time (as I never do) you can put them in frozen as an FYI…

Pour the cup of Mango nectar (honestly, you could use orange juice too! It all cooks away…

Here’s the odd/specific timing part. You can totally mess around with this timing depending on when you will be home! I started this in the morning. Cooked it on high for 4 hours. I added the quinoa about 30 minutes before it was done. Then took the chicken out, chopped it (probably could have shredded it had it been on low for longer!). I added the chicken back in to soak up a little more juice.

While it was still in warming mode, and right before I took it out, I added all the spinach and tossed it around.

Then I took it all out and placed it in a bowl to cool for a few hours.

Either earlier when it’s cooking or later depending on when you have time. Dice the mango, avocado, peppers, and tomatoes.

Add all the diced fruits and vegetables on top, salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

I don’t know why it took me so long to try spaghetti squash, but now that I have…I’m hooked!!

I won’t lie and tell you that it tastes like pasta, or that you will never crave pasta again, but…it’s a great healthy alternative, and a great way to get your kiddos to eat veggies!

I’m pretty lucky that Maya will eat just about everything. She will even sit down with a bowl of raw veggies as a snack! The teenage boys are another matter. I have to figure out ways to hide veggies in things. The first few times I made this, I added about half a box of veggie pasta, and they devoured it!! I made this version when it was just me and Maya. She devoured it, and I think I might actually try it out on the boys! Or…add some quinoa? Really, you can add whatever you want or eat as is!

The avocado adds a creamy healthy fat. I mean…what isn’t better with avocado on top??!What you need…

1 Jar of your favorite Pasta Sauce (check labels if you are strict on paleo or whole 30)

1 Large Avocado

What you do…

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the ends off your spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.

Place it flesh side down in a pan that has about 1/4 of water. I like to sprinkle sea salt and thyme in the water, because I swear the squash absorbs some of it! You could use any kind of herb! Cover with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until flesh is soft.

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, dice up your onions, and add it to a large pan with a little bit of olive oil and crushed garlic.

While the onions are cooking cut up your baby carrots, or add the shredded carrots in after the onions have been cooking for about 5 minutes.

While the onions and carrots are cooking, dice up your chicken sausage.

Add the chicken sausage into the mix and stir until hot.

Add the jar of pasta sauce and let it simmer until the spaghetti squash is done.

Once spaghetti squash is done, take it out and let it cool for about 5 minutes. I usually am too impatient and just hold it with an oven mitt haha 🙂

Scrape the insides of the squash out into your pan. You can get almost ALL the flesh out, leaving only a thin skin.

Toss it all together, and top with diced avocado!

It’s been so cold and blustery here in Seattle. 2 bowls of this, and a cozy blanket just sounded like heaven. And..it was 🙂 Ps- Don’t be afraid to let your children help you. Maya wanted to help me stir, and at first I thought about all the different ways she could make a mess-PASTA SAUCE! Then…I put an apron on her and let her. Her exact words.